MARSANKA 28 SAMARA 30 ON THE VOLGA 32 SIBERIAN HOME 34 A SIBERIAN TOWN 36 RAILWAY CHURCH SERVICE 38 M. DE PLEHVE 40 IRKUTSK 48 LAKE BAIKAL 52 THE STATION OF MANCHURY 60 TSI-TSI-KAR 68 KHARBIN 70 A STREET IN KHARBIN 76 FROM MUKDEN FLATS ON TO THE TOWN 80 THE ENTRANCE TO THE IMPERIAL TOMBS 104 GENERAL KUROPATKIN 124 THE LEGATION QUARTER 152 ENTRANCE TO THE FORBIDDEN CITY 158 TRIUMPHAL ARCH 162 THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN 172 THE EMPRESS DOWAGER OF CHINA 184 THE SUMMER PALACE 188 SEOUL 240 THE EMPEROR'S THRONE IN THE OLD PALACE 248 THE IMPERIAL LIBRARY IN SEOUL 252 THE THRONE ROOM 268 THE EMPEROR OF KOREA 270 THE STATE EXAMINATION HALL AT PEKIN 292 SHRINES AT NIKKO 296 DELIGHTFUL SCENERY 298 STREET IN JAPAN 300 THE TOKAIDO 304 A TYPICAL NIPPON BUILDING 312 MARSHAL OYAMA 322 ON THE YANG-TZE-KIANG 340 IN THE FLOWERY LAND 344 COUNT WITTE 384 INTRODUCTION During my prolonged stay in the Far East, I promised to send home notes whenever I came across anything interesting, or whenever I had time to do so. This is how it happened that the story of my visits to the different cities of interest, of receptions graciously granted by the various Emperors of Eastern Asia, and the chief impressions received when crossing their empires, came to be jotted down. Naturally in these pages, written often under considerable pressure and in spare moments, I was at the mercy of circumstances, and could not dwell on all the points at such length as I should have liked to do. In short, in these narratives, destined to be confided to couriers and post offices, I was compelled to leave out much that might have been more sensational.